Arcana Chance
by We Are Legion
Summary: One prevented the Fall. The other uncovered the Truth. Now, driven by chance, one meets the other. Their paths, their goals, and their very way of life may differ, but they are all connected by the power known as Persona.
1. The Priestess & The Magician

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Persona, Atlus does.

**Author Note: **Alright, now that that's over with, this is basically going to be a series of one-shots of random chance meetings between members of P3 and P4. For now, I'm probably going to do the main teams, maybe eventually it'll move onto social link characters. Maybe. Spoilers will be there because these will take place after the ending of both games, but I don't think I'll actually mention the ending that much. Looking forward to any and all criticism because I am frankly disappointed in my own writing. Style, pacing, character, story, how boring it is, etc.

Also, don't expect frequent updates. I don't write as often as I should.

Urgh.

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**The Priestess & The Magician**

* * *

It was summer. Not a week had passed since exams had ended that their summer break began. No more school, no more homework. He had even convinced his dad to give him a break from work. For all intents and purposes, now was the time when he could just kick back, relax, and hang out with his friends. Hell, he even heard that Aiya would be adding a new Rainy Day Challenge – rumors were that it would be more like a Meat Universe. For once, there seemed to be exciting going-ons in the small town of Inaba.

And Yosuke could not enjoy any of it.

After being told that he could take a few days off from work, his dad had announced their family would be taking a small vacation to Tatsumi Port Island. Seemed fairly normal, right? Not that Port Island was anything huge, but it was a city, and a city did have a lot of stuff to do. And from the small glimpse of the city he had during the school trip, the city did seem to be fun.

But it was all a trap. The allure of going on vacation, away from the stress of work, school, and having to babysit Teddie, it all seemed so appealing. After arriving though, he had a gut feeling that something just didn't feel right. When his dad pulled into their hotel, just one look out the window accounted for his unease. Outside his window he could see a giant banner sporting "GRAND OPENING" waving above of a Junes. And by the time he realized what his true purpose in this "vacation" was, it was too late.

And now? Now he was trapped inside of yet another Junes, helping to stock the shelves while his dad was off wherever talking with the manager of this Junes about whatever. Sure, he was told he'd be compensated, but wasn't that amount the regular salary he'd get back home anyway? Not to mention how it was a lot more crowded in this store than the one back in Inaba, so much so that he could barely move without bumping into a customer asking him where this or that was. Luckily though, he was able to get duty stocking the shelves in the seemingly abandoned Sauces and Spices aisle, so at least he didn't need to deal with anyone at the moment.

"Um, excuse me, do you work here?"

Of course, life never did like dealing Yosuke a good hand. Not bothering to turn around, he chose to answer with his best "I-don't-want-to-deal-with-you-but-I-have-no-choice" voice, "Yes, and how may I help you?"

"Sorry for bothering you, but, um, if you aren't that busy right now, I just was wondering if I could maybe get a second opinion on which…" the woman stutters out before drifting into silence.

Maybe he shouldn't be so harsh on customers. Souji had taught him at least a bit about thinking before speaking, and Kanji had taught him the consequences of not doing so. Sighing, Yosuke turned around to apologize.

It was a teal-haired girl, not much older than him. She was pretty cute, but also seemed to be a bit too nervous and that made him immediately regret how he acted earlier. Scratching the back of his head, he muttered out an apology, "Sorry about that, it's just I'm supposed to be on vacation right now, so it's kind of hard to be all "Everyday's great at your Junes" and all that. So how can I help you?"

Well, that worked sort of well because she did look a bit less scared. "Oh. I understand. I was finally able to get a few days off from work to meet up with some of my old friends, and I wanted to cook something nice for the occasion. It's just I haven't really been to this store before so I'm a bit lost, umm…Hanamura-san," she said, gazing at his nametag.

"Oh, no need to be all formal. Just Yosuke is fine, that's what everyone else calls me," he replies with his lopsided smile and wink.

"So, um, Yosuke-san, I was thinking about making curry, but I'm not really sure whether I should add this or this," she answers, holding up two bags.

"Well, I think—"

…?

Wait, she did say curry, right? Why is she holding up a bag of potato starch in one hand and a bag of flour in the other? An odd rush of déjà vu works its way up and memories of a Mystery Food X appear before Yosuke forces it back into the depths of his mind. Glancing again at the girl, he sees that she is absolutely serious, and waiting expectantly for an answer.

Well, Souji would tell him to be a gentleman, and he didn't have the heart to tell a cute girl her ideas about ingredients would be absolutely horrendous. And hey, it's not like he was going to eat this. Yosuke could only think to offer the deepest of apologies to this girl's friends.

"—both would work great!" he says, giving what he can best describe as a wry smile. I am so sorry to you all.

A warm smile grazes her face as she places both bags back into her cart. "Really? It's been a while since I last cooked curry, so I was beginning to wonder if I had completely forgotten! Thank you for the help."

For all the talk he did, he had never actually gotten close to a girl - any physical contact was limited to a certain kung-fu obsessed demon pounding on him any chance she got. Man, why couldn't she just get every hint that he dropped. That's why when this girl happily grabbed his hand in gratitude, Yosuke could do nothing but sputter in shock. "Wha, well, I mean, it's nothing really, I just-"

"!"

Before he could finish his nonsensical mumblings, she had already withdrawn her hands, eyes wide in shock. Oh man, what did he do this time? Have to apologize quick, before this ends up being another incident that ends with him reeling on the floor. "Wait, whoa, it's not what you think. Not that I even know what you're thinking, but it is most definitely not what you're thinking. Just what are you thinking anyway?"

"You…you have a Persona?"

Whoa. Full stop. That did not just…what…huh…how….**what? **Wait, maybe she just overheard him talking about it earlier, when he was muttering to himself. Was he muttering to himself earlier, though? Dammit, whatever, remember what Naoto told us about this: deny everything, laugh it off, whatever it takes to not draw attention to this. "Persona? Hahaha..what's that, some kind of new game or something?" he said, with a forced, crooked smile.

Silence. So very awkward, but she isn't responding. That should be good, right? Alright, time get the hell out of here. "Hrmm, well, I uh, think they need my help in the back, so I really need to get going now. I hope you had a great time shopping at Junes!"

Turning around, Yosuke was ready to dash away from this person before any more questions got asked. Before he had even taken a step though…

"He is…Susano-o, right? Ascended from Jiraiya, and of the Magician Arcana."

What. Seriously, what? How did she know **that**?

Forcing himself to turn around, he was shocked at what he saw…and felt. At first he thought Rise had suddenly appeared behind him, but he realized quickly enough that it was still just him and the girl. The way she was standing…hands held together as if in prayer, and this feeling…just like the time they fought Rise's shadow. "…are you…scanning me?"

A light smile as she looks up and nods. "Yes, to the best of my ability. It's been a while since I last needed to ask Juno for help, and I can't get effective readings without calling her out completely."

He doesn't really know what to say at this point. This girl, whoever she was, also happened to be a Persona-user? And on top of that, her Persona was strong enough to be able to get that much information about him? Sighing, he spoke back cautiously, "I didn't know there were other Persona-users out there. We all thought it was just limited to our town, 'cause that's where it started."

"Limited? Whereever Shadows exist, so too does the possibility of awakening a Persona. But then again, that's about all I found out before Mitsuru sealed off all the old files," she replies. "Susano-o…he feels really strong. You and your group must have been through a lot."

Oh damn. How much to say, how much to say? She already knows that he has a Persona, and she has one herself, so she probably already knows about the Midnight Channel, right? Agh, man, if only Souji were here, that guy always knew the right response for everything. Still somewhat cautious, he replied, "Erm, yeah I guess. Compared to the other guys in my group, Susano-o's the most experienced, since I was there from the start. Can't really count our leader though, that guy always seemed to have a different Persona, but he was still the strongest of us."

"Different Personas?" she whispers in a soft voice.

"Yeah, he really—" Huh? What's with that look? She's not technically crying, but…. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Oh, no, it's fine," she replies, but now she's looking away. Even Teddie, that ball of happiness with no sense of social tact, would be able to tell that whatever _it_ is, it is not just fine. But before he can press her on this, she shakes her head and the soft smile returns. "All of you guys must be really close, huh?"

Surprised at her sudden change in demeanor, but not willing to bring up anything painful, Yosuke just chose to go along with it. "Yeah, we are. That year together really changed a lot…for all of us." Thinking back to not too long ago only ended up bringing a warm smile to his face. "Oh yeah, we had a scanner too, just like you. Rise Kujikawa, maybe you've heard of her?"

Wow, her eyes flew open fast. "Rise…you mean Risette?"

Heh, that was a quick reaction. "Yeah. Don't mention it to anyone, though. I don't think the world is ready for an idol that battles monsters in her spare time."

"Don't worry. I'm sure if I told Mitsuru about you guys, she'd want to interrogate all of you 'till she figured out everything about how you got your Personas and what you did with them…"

"Aren't you curious, though?"

A sad smile grazes her face before she nods. "I'd be lying if I said no, but Personas…Shadows…I made a promise to keep moving forward. Learning more about them, it'd feel like I was going back, and I know I would end up regretting again."

Another moment passes of pure silence in which Yosuke is at a loss for words. Finally, she gives a quick bow before speaking. "It was nice meeting you. But I should probably get going, everyone is still waiting for me. Maybe next time we can talk a little bit more."

Watching her walk away, Yosuke suddenly realizes something. "Hey! I never learned your name!"

"Fuuka Yamagishi," she tells him, turning around for just a moment. "Take care, Yosuke-san."

As he looked back at the boxes of cans and bottles that still needed shelving, he sighed. _Well, at least that's one good thing that came out of this trip._


	2. The Emperor, The Strength, & The Star

**Author Note:** I really didn't want to submit this one. Half of me wanted to just go and rewrite the whole thing from scratch as soon as I finished, but the other half was way too lazy to throw so much work away, no matter how bad I thought it was. I don't even know. Anyways, expect the next one in about 3-ish weeks. But don't expect much, am such a bad writer. As always, please criticize and review, always looking for comments. I'll try and get back to you guys this time, depending on how busy I am. Thanks, and I hope you guys enjoy this one.

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**The Emperor, The Strength, & The Star**

* * *

Just another day, huh?

Sighing loudly, Akihiko Sanada continued to walk down the crowded streets. Ever since he had joined the Port Island Police Department after high school graduation, everything had been so simple. Sometimes, he thought, maybe too simple. Training at the academy had been a cinch, of course. All those hours spent in Tartarus had made him physically strong, and Mitsuru had pretty much hammered in proper responses and etiquette for almost any situation into him. Then he'd gotten his badge and almost every day had devolved into him haplessly patrolling the streets of Port Island.

At first, it wasn't so bad. Occasionally there would be a small dispute that he needed to settle, or an argument he needed to mediate, but nothing really _exciting._ Most of the time, he would patrol the streets for several hours with absolutely nothing going, just regular people going about their regular lives. This was supposed to be good, right? If nothing happened, then all was peaceful, and, as a police officer, he wanted that, right?

Well, it obviously didn't stop him from being bored out of his mind, though.

Just as he was wondering where he should stop by for lunch – a beef bowl sounded nice – his radio crackled on. Turning on the receiver, he answered, "Sanada here."

Over the electronic muffling, he clearly heard Kurosawa's voice, "Sanada, there seems to be some sort of disturbance at East Tatsumi Park. We couldn't get an accurate report, so go check it out. Report in if you need backup."

"Gotcha, I'll head right over." With a click, he flipped off the device and quickly inserted it back into its pocket. Maybe, just maybe, he could see some action today. Clenching his fists, he dashed towards the park, weaving through the crowds. The sight of a police officer running, even a regular patrolman like himself, was enough for people to clear the way.

Reaching the entrance of the park, he quickly looked around before hearing frantic screams coming from the…hot dog stand?

"Ahhh, get off! Someone help, he's ruining my fur!"

….okay. That was an oddly worded scream of help. Whatever, have to help. Heading in the direction of the scream, Akihiko quickly put on his best officer-voice he had, "What's going on here? I'm Officer Sanada of the Port Island PD, and I—"

*Bark*

The scene literally made Akihiko freeze in place. This was a "disturbance"? Who reported this? Before him stood a blue bear in a red-white suit rolling around on the floor as a pure-white dog gnawed at the bear's ankles. Every so often, the dog let go, only to bark some more before presuming its attack. Akihiko sighed in disappointment as he just happened to recognize that dog.

Koromaru...

Ever since that incident with the Abyss, the Shiba-Inu had chosen to go off on his own, not content to choose any one of SEES to keep him. Instead, every so often, he would show up at one of their doorsteps, staying for a few days before heading off to who knows where. Of course they did worry at first, but Koro-chan was as smart as dogs come, and always seemed to be able to take care of himself without causing trouble for others.

That's why Akihiko was just a little shocked at the dog attacking a random stranger. "Koro-chan!" he called out. "It's me, Akihiko! What do you think you're doing?"

For a second, the dog stilled its assault and turned towards the police officer. Warily, he let go of the bear and backed away towards Akihiko, never letting the bear out of his sights.

*Bark bark*

Bending down, Akihiko quickly patted Koromaru on the head, eliciting wags of delight from the canine. "C'mon, boy, you know better than to just attack someone in the park. I mean, just because his suit's a little weird..."

*Whine*

"Well, fine, I guess you had your reasons. Stay back for a second while I go talk to him first, alright?"

*Bark!*

Now what got into him? He had to admit, this bear...thing _did_ look kind of odd, but it seemed harmless enough. Gazing at the bear now, it seemed to be stuck on its back, comically flailing its arms around trying to get back up. Yeah, definitely harmless. Reaching out his hand, he grabbed hold of one of the suit's arms and pulled it onto its feet.

"Are you alright, sir?" he asked, trying to sound as professional as he could, given the awkward situation.

Standing up, the mascot first looked all over his suit before releasing a sad sigh. "My beautiful fur is all ruined now..."

He would take that as a yes, despite the tone. Looking back at Koromaru, Akihiko noticed the dog was still growling dangerously at the cartoonish suit. After all this time, he instinctively trusted the dog's feelings, and knew that Koromaru wouldn't attack anyone without good reason. If that was the case then...

"I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner, but can you tell me exactly what happened here?"

As if finally noticing the man, the suited bear turned towards Akihiko. Waving his hands around, he immediately launched into his story. "It was terrible! Teddie only wanted to come here because Sensei told him that Nana-chan liked the gifts they sell here! But then Teddie didn't even know where to look, so I just wandered around. That's when _he_ started eating me! It was so un_bear_able"

Hearing an angry bark in return, the officer feared he would have to tackle Koromaru just to keep the dog from launching itself at...Teddie. Still, that explained why this person was here...but nothing about the bear costume though. Or the Ikutsuki-level pun. Maybe he was hiding something underneath it?

"...sir, please step out of the costume."

The suit's cheerful expression looked back at him. "Huh, how come?"

He knew he didn't have a good reason. He couldn't even use his authority as a police officer, either. In the end, all Officer Akihiko Sanada could do was stare down Teddie with the coldest, authoritative face he could muster.

"Oh well, you seem like a nice person since you saved Teddie," he replied cheerfully. Reaching around to grab the zipper, the bear's head quickly came off to reveal a kid. Well, maybe "kid" was an exaggeration. Physically, he was only a few years younger, probably two or three, but something about him made him seem much younger. Still, the most startling feature was Teddie's eyes. A shade of blue that he had seen before...somewhere...

Aside from that, just being in the presence of Teddie felt like...like...

"Is this fine, mister?"

The sudden voice snapped him awake from his thoughts. He just lost whatever revelation he was about to make, and that just made him more annoyed. Scratching his head in frustration, he looked back at Koromaru, seeing that the canine's stance had not changed in the slightest. If only Akihiko could understand the dog, just like...

Aigis!

Pulling out his cell phone, he quickly scrolled down his address book. Aigis didn't have a cell phone...the last time he had seen her was when they had a reunion at the old dorm. If he remembered correctly, she was rooming with Takeba ever since the pair had graduated from Gekkoukan. The latter had gone to a university, and Aigis had chosen to follow.

Clicking on Takeba's number, he quickly half-yelled to Teddie. "Hold on for just a minute, this is important."

Not even bothering to look at the reaction on the blond boy's face, Akihiko turned towards Koromaru just as someone answered on the other end.

"...hello. Yukari-san is busy at the moment. If you want, I can take a message or tell her to—"

Perfect timing! "Aigis, this is Akihiko. Look, I know this is sudden, but can you help me out for a second?"

"Ah, Akihiko-san. Of course, how can I be of assistance?" she replied, without a hint of hesitation in her voice.

"Well, Koromaru is acting a bit...odd. Well, odd as far I know, but anyway, look. I need you to translate what he's saying for me," he explained, trying to keep the urgency in his voice low in case Teddie was listening in.

"Unfortunately, I cannot do that. When I translate for Koro-chan, it is a combination of both his speech and body language."

"Is that so? Well, I guess if that's how it is, it can't be helped. Thanks anyway, Aigis," Akihiko replied, letting out a large sigh in the process. He closed his phone and patted Koromaru down, trying to at least lessen the dog's apparent anger. "Look boy, I just don't know what you're trying to tell me. He seems perfectly fine, and I can't really arrest him for no reason."

*Whimper*

What was he doing? He trusted Koromaru, sure, more than he trusted many people, but it's not as if he had any reason to take this kid in. He could already imagine the look on Kurosawa's face if he were to bring in a suspect for no better reason than "he gave me a bad feeling."

His face must've shown his frustration because at that moment, Teddie spoke up. "Mister, are you alright? Did your call not go well?"

Sigh. "Not well at all. Look, sorry for—"

"Oh, I bet it's 'cause of a girl, right? Teddie's always sad when Yuki-chan, Chie-chan, or Rise-chan don't want to go out," Teddie said, interrupting Akihiko's train of thought.

"What, that's not—"

"Don't worry mister. We just need to keep trying! With hard work, one day we'll both be able to score!" he continued, enthusiasm lacing his yells.

... what did this guy just imply? Flashes of a beach and an operation quickly entered his mind, but he quickly shoved them back down. No point remembering something like _that_, especially now. Letting out a deep sigh, he could only think about what a huge waste of time this was. Whatever this kid in front of him was, it certainly didn't seem like criminal material, especially now that he was droning on and on.

"Teddie. I'm sorry for wasting your time, and I'm sure Koromaru apologizes as well. Just stay out of trouble, alright?" he said with a note of finality in his voice.

Turning to leave, Akihiko reined Koromaru in as he walked away. Although, the dog still harbored a slight discomfort towards Teddie, he seemed more subdued. Akihiko wondered why...maybe because Koro-chan thought the same thing about Teddie that he did—that whatever uneasiness they felt was completely incomparable to the innate innocence that the blond, blue-eyed, bear-wearing mascot seemed to let off.

As the pair neared the edge of the park, and Akihiko's began to again think about his plans for lunch and the boredom of his life, his ears caught the sound of the kid yelling towards him from far away. "Don't look so sad, mister. Sensei always told me that no matter what, there are people who will be nice to Teddie, and you must be one of them! Teddie's beary happy because he made a new friend today, so you should be happy for saving Teddie! And, erm, what did Yosuke tell me to say when it's close to the new year...um, best wishes in the coming year! See ya, mister!"

A smile slipped across the officer's face. That's right. That's why he was able to do this job...not for himself but for helping others. Laughing to himself for forgetting something so basic, he could even feel Koromaru cheering up, as the dog began to skip forward alongside him. His pleasant mood lasted all the way to his favorite beef bowl restaurant, taking his seat, and ordering the usual alongside the Shiba-Inu.

'Best wishes in the coming year'? Damn right.

Replaying those words in his head, a weight seemed to suddenly fall on him and he stood up in realization. No wonder that kid seemed familiar. Those words, Koromaru's treatment, his own discomfort, that demeanor, those _eyes_—all of a sudden, they all added up to one thing: Ryoji Mochizuki.

Teddie...he was a Shadow.


	3. The Lovers, The Chariot, & The Emperor

**Author Note:** This was actually my very first idea that made me want to write _Arcana Chance_, but I only ever got around to it now. I've been adding to it bit by bit over the past month-ish...school is winding down, so that means projects, projects, and finals. Well, I really did enjoy writing the beginning of this, but by the end, I completely _didn't_ know how to end it. I think it might be rushed. Anyways, thanks for all the kind reviews and criticisms, and I hope you enjoy reading this one too.

**Review Note:** Oh, I also want to note that I am using each person's individual arcana, instead of their social link arcana. For most characters, its the same, but P3P changed some around. Like Akihiko is an Emperor, but the social link with him is for Star. I think the only other one is Aigis's link being Aeon when she is the Chariot, and Shinjiro's link being Moon, when he's actually the Hierophant.

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**The Lovers, The Chariot, & The Emperor**

* * *

Kanji Tatsumi couldn't believe he was here.

All around him, it was a scene of pure chaos, as people crowded around this or that, usually stopping only for a few seconds before moving to another location. Every so often, someone would shout, either in joy or dismay, and Kanji even thought he heard a fight break out at one point. It was a regular battle royale, the likes of which Kanji had never seen before. Seated behind his table, the young man wondered for a moment just what he was thinking when he signed up for his own stand here.

At this sewing and knitting convention.

The chaos, however, didn't really extend to his little booth. It had already been a few hours since the convention started – when would he have time to get food anyway? – but he quickly noticed after the first hour that few people chose to stop and look at his creations. Maybe his dolls weren't cute enough? Nah, no way. He had cross-checked with Rise _and_ Nanako before coming here, and they both guaranteed him that they were the cutest dolls ever. So that wasn't it.

Letting out a half-frustrated, half-annoyed sigh, Kanji leaned back in his chair and began to wonder just _what_ made him think this was a good idea.

He hadn't really been against this, sure. Ever since he started his sewing classes back in Inaba, the business for Tatsumi Textiles had soared. Of course, although there were the few assholes that attended just to try and mess with him, _try_ was all they could do. He wasn't ashamed of himself anymore, and there were plenty of people that accepted him for who he was.

Thinking back, it was those very same people that got him into this mess.

On a whim, he had crafted a doll version of Take-Mikazuchi and Rokuten Maoh. He hadn't really given it much thought at the time – he always just made whatever he wanted when there weren't any requests – and kept the two dolls in his room. It was only after Rise found them and showed them off to the whole team that everyone started to want their own Persona dolls. One thing led to another, and he eventually found himself selling off smaller (and cuter!) versions of the ones Senpai used.

Around town, news of "Tatsumi's handcrafted one-of-a-kind dolls" was a big hit. Not just kids, but even girls (and occasionally a few guys) his age, and even adults, came often for his creations. He was pretty proud of himself, that was true. Maybe too proud, because when Yukiko suggested he set up a stand at this convention to sell his dolls, he had agreed pretty fast.

Nothing was going right though. Most people glanced at him and just walked away. He was starting to get more pissed off every time he saw someone whisper to their friends while pointing at him. What was wrong with him being here, anyway? He could probably sew twice as good, no three times, as most people here. But hardly anyone spared a glance at his creations, and the few people that did pretty much just paid for it and left, no small talk at all, no interest, nothing.

Maybe he was just no good at this? It might have been better to keep selling these back in Inaba, instead of thinking he could make it big out here. Yeah, probably too soon for him to try and break out his skills in the "outside" world. Better to just head back to the hotel now, get some rest, and take a train back tomorrow.

It was a depressing thought, but one that stuck, nonetheless. Reaching underneath the table, Kanji slid a cardboard box out from underneath the table and began to place his collection back inside. Nobody seemed to mind, and he wasn't going to make a big deal about it. There was a lot to place back, and he needed to be care – some of these were fragile, after all – and as he finally reached the last row on display, his ears caught a nearby conversation.

"—shouldn't worry so much. Whatever Akihiko needed translating probably wasn't that important, otherwise he'd still be calling, right?"

"...I suppose. But just to be safe, maybe we should hurry ba—"

"Don't worry so much, Aigis! C'mon, it's your first convention, let's find something nice to bring back as a souvenir."

Nothing important, really. Just convention-goers doing their own thing. Well, it's not like he meant to eavesdrop anyway...stuff like that just happened. Thinking that, he sealed up the box he had filled and crouched down to place it underneath the table, grabbing another box in the process.

"Oh, Aigis! Look at those, aren't they cute?"

Footsteps. Fast, loud footsteps.

Were they headed for his stand? He wasn't entirely packed up yet, but it must have at least _looked_ like he was getting ready to leave. Besides, once they saw him...they'd treat him the same as everyone else here.

Just that mere thought was enough to force Kanji's face into a deep scowl as he stood up from behind the stand to get a look at his two customers. A brunette in a fancy dress with a fur lining and other seemingly expensive pieces of accessories — not that that denoted the quality of the clothing...he was sure he could make better — and a blonde girl with some fancy headphones and a blue sundress – now that, on the other hand, was beautifully made. He couldn't admire their choice in clothing for long, though, as he quickly noticed the shocked expression of the brown-haired girl.

Leaning over, she whispered to her companion so softly that Kanji had to strain to catch what was said. "Aigis, maybe we should go somewhere else. That guy looks angrier than Shinjiro when someone doesn't finish their plate..."

That did it.

That was the last straw.

"Just what is with you people, anyway?" he yelled, slamming his hands down on the table.

Picking up the closest doll to him, he waved it in front of the girls. "What is wrong with me making these dolls, huh? What, is it too difficult to believe that someone like me can make anything like this? I promised Senpai that I would do my best to get people to understand me, but none of you people even try!"

He didn't even care that most people were ignoring him, as long as he could get this out. This whole plan was a disaster, and this was the perfect ending to his perfect failure. Looking away, he bent over to pick up his fallen box, placing the doll he had held onto the table in front of the girls.

A slight silence passed before he heard a voice, with at least some regret in her tone. "...sorry. I shouldn't have said something like that.."

"You know what? Whatever. Just hurry up and leave so I can finish packing this up."

No longer even looking at them, Kanji reached up to grab the closest doll on the table when he felt resistance. Someone else was...pulling it? Not releasing his grip, he picked up the conversation between the two girls.

"Aigis! What are you doing? He told us to leave..." urged the brown-haired girl.

"My apologies, but I need to inspect this doll," replied who he assumed was 'Aigis'. An odd name, but he wasn't one to judge. "Tatsumi-san, please allow me to do this."

Being spoken to directly, Kanji didn't know exactly how to react. On one hand, he _had_ just yelled at these two, but, then again, that was only the other one. 'Aigis' actually seemed interested in his doll...and he couldn't deny that it made him just a little happier now that someone was interested in his work.

"...alright," Kanji said, immediately feeling the doll being tugged away from his hand. "Be careful though, the stitching on the scarf took a while to do, and for something that small, I can't really say how safe it is."

"I understand," she answered before looking over the doll in excruciating detail, spinning it around numerous times. How fast was she looking at it?

Well, even if she says she understands, she's being pretty damn rough with it. Not that he expected it to fall apart...it was something he made after all, and that made it tough enough for most situations. Still...why would she need to look at it so much...

Apparently, her friend was thinking the same thing too, as after a few minutes of "inspection", she chimed in. "What's wrong? Do you want to get it, Aigis?"

Oh, that must be it. Maybe she wants to make sure it's well-made. Mentally flexing to himself, Kanji could only think that if that were the case, it would be a guarantee sale.

"No."

Disappointment. Massive disappointment.

"Rather, Yukari-san, doesn't this doll look familiar to you?" she asked, holding the doll up.

Wait, what?

"Hrmm, now that you mention it, I get the feeling I've seen this somewhere before..." answered 'Yukari'. "But where...?"

No way.

"My time wielding it was short, but even before that, I never forgot each and every one of them. This one...Apsaras."

Shit.

"And that one over there...King Frost, Power, Seiryu, Shiisaa, Eligor. All of these dolls are modeled after a Persona."

By now, Kanji was sweating bullets. Just who were these girls that knew about Personas? On top of that, how did they know the exact names of these ones? They were Senpai's...this wasn't adding up at all.

When the two simultaneously turned towards him, he was practically speechless, only capable of waving his hands in front of him before stuttering out, "Who...just the hell are you two?"

A slight smile, more of a smirk, appeared on the brown-haired girl's face before she answered. "I'm Yukari Takeba, and this is Aigis. But, the more important question here is...who are _you _and just how do you know about Persona?"

Lie. That was the key here. That's what Naoto had said. "Uhm, er...name's uhhh Yos...Yosuke Sa, uh, Satonaka. Yeah, Yosuke Satonaka."

If possible, the smirk grew. "Nice try, but that name tag clearly says 'Kanji Tatsumi'. You're pretty bad at lying, aren't you? Just cough it up, just where did you get the idea behind these dolls."

Laughing as cheerfully as he could in this situation, Kanji knew that he was pretty much screwed. Whoever these girls were, they clearly knew what a Persona was, and it would probably only be a matter of time before they made him spill everything. What would everyone else do in this situation? Senpai, Yosuke, and Rise would probably be able to smooth talk their way out. Naoto, on the other hand, could probably completely turn this on the other person. Chie and Yukiko both were pretty scary. Teddie...well, ignoring Teddie, everyone could probably solve this themselves, and he had to as well.

"Lemme tell you about that, the story is kinda weird but—" Kanji started, a perfect story already made up in his head.

"Wait," interrupted Aigis. Her voice was filled with sadness, but Kanji could detect determination too. "Yukari-san, are you sure we should be investigating this matter more deeply? Two years ago...didn't we all make that promise?"

For a while, there was only silence. And then...

Laughter.

Yukari, even if she had been at a Yukiko-level of terrifying a few seconds ago, suddenly let out a small laugh. "That's right. We did, didn't we? I'd almost forgotten, because it all came back so suddenly, didn't it? Thanks, Aigis."

Her friend smiled back, satisfied with Yukari's decision.

Turning towards him, she bowed down slightly. "I apologize for any inconvenience we have made towards you today."

Now he really didn't know how to respond. A minute ago, he thought he had to either run or fight, and now everything had gone back to them just being regular customers, rather than...well, people who knew about Persona. "I guess that's fine. It's not like you two bothered me much, I was already packing up..."

Aigis only nodded, but Yukari took this moment to jump in. "That won't do though, you still have so much left."

Sigh. "Yeah, but nothing I can do about it. Nothing's selling, and this whole damn convention can just go and get be—"

"Then how 'bout you sell it to us, then?" she asked, with a warm smile on her face.

"Huh? That..that's...isn't that a bit...I dunno, much?" Kanji replied. Just how much money did these girls have?

"Well..it wouldn't just be for us. We have a few friends who might enjoy these too, so..." she answered before leaning over to Aigis. "We could probably charge this to Mitsuru-senpai...she did say that we could for emergencies, after all."

"This would be acceptable, I think."

Before he could even reply, Aigis had dropped more than enough yen on the table and snatched his one filled box away.

Still speechless, the girls began to walk away before he heard Yukari's voice calling back to him. "Keep up the good work, Tatsumi-san!"

...

...

This certainly was an interesting first convention.


	4. The Justice & The Lovers

**Author Note:** Ugh, where to start? First off, apologies, I guess. Sorry for the extremely late update. Sorry for the quality of this chapter (more on this in a bit). Sorry for the wait that will be the next chapter. School ended about a month after I published Chapter 3, and I did think that since summer started, I would have more free time to write. But then I ended up spending all my spare time gaming, watching anime, and reading manga. School is starting again now, so updates will still be infrequent. Again, really sorry. Finally, onto this chapter and my thoughts. Like the last one, I had a blast writing the start of it. But then, during the actual _meeting_ between characters, I just don't know. I can't really write Rise, I realize I'm not good with bubbly, happy characters. Well, I tried. Feel free to tell me how I could have made this better. Really, be honest with me. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy (or at least don't vomit out of disgust).

* * *

**The Justice & The Lovers**

* * *

It wasn't as if he was here because he wanted to be here. It didn't matter that he ordered the tickets as soon as the event was announced, or that he was among the first few people to line up, or even that he decided to stay even when Junpei had completely flaked out on him (how exactly did he get arrested anyway?). He wasn't like all these people around him, with their banners and flags and all manner of cheering equipment. He was Ken Amada, a teenager both wise and mature beyond his years.

Or at least that's what he kept thinking to himself as he sat eagerly on the ground outside of Risette's comeback concert.

Gazing at the rest of the line behind him, he felt glad that he had been waiting in line since morning. Otherwise, he might be trapped in that wave of crazed and overly-obsessed fanboys which he was _clearly_ not a part of. It was common sense, after all, to wake up at 5 AM to line up for a concert that would start at 5 PM. If he hadn't done that, he wouldn't be able to get the best seats, and for something like this, that just wouldn't make any sense. This was _Risette_ of all people, and who wouldn't want to be in the front row for her first concert since her hiatus?

Of course, he had _tried_ to convince the other SEES members to come with him to this once-in-a-lifetime occasion, but they just didn't understand. Only Junpei seemed to know that this was the biggest thing ever. The rest were, oddly enough, not interested. As unfortunate as that was, and with Junpei's extraordinary luck getting him arrested on this very day, Ken was left by himself to observe this concert.

Suddenly, a voice broke out over the loudspeakers outside of the concert hall, "The concert will be starting soon. We would like to please ask all attendees to enter the stadium in a calm and orderly fashion. Thank you for your cooperation."

Ken barely heard a word past "soon" before he caught the gates being unlocked. Apparently, neither did anyone else. As soon as the gate was partially opened, the crowd waiting outside rushed in, all hoping for the best seats. Had Ken been even a bit taller, he would have easily been swept into the wave of fans. For the first time in a long while, he was sincerely glad that he hadn't yet hit his growth spurt. Compared to fighting Shadows or the brutal training sessions with Akihiko, slipping through the crowd was a simple task, and Ken eventually found himself right in front of the stage.

Truth be told, he was a bit anxious about this whole thing. Before her hiatus, Risette was _the_ idol. She had been everywhere, and anything with her as a sponsor had been a resounding success. Everyone knew who she was, and practically everyone adored her.

But she just vanished.

All the performances, concerts, and even the commercials ended; she practically fell off the map. Almost no television stations talked about her, nor did any news sites. Among her fandom, rumors had begun to fly around – that she was ousted in favor of Kanamin, or that she'd went home to work at her family's tofu shop, or even this one crazy one about her being involved with the murders in Inaba. Ken himself didn't believe a word of it, but he really was worried. After all, if someone as big as Risette suddenly disappeared, that would mean bad news for all of Japan, not just her fans.

"Well, whatever," Ken whispered to himself. "She's back and that's all anyone should care about."

As if someone had been listening to him speak, the lights to the stadium concert hall dimmed at that very moment. For a few seconds, the entire hall quieted, all eyes rushing towards the stage in anticipation for her arrival. It was almost as if someone had muted the entire audience. But only for a second.

Then _she_ appeared. The audience exploded in roars, yells, cheers, and any other kind of loud noise. Ken himself practically screamed at her, amazed at how much seeing her in real life differed from seeing her on TV or on videos. She was amazing, in practically every way, as she ran onto the center of the stage. Risette stood, smiled, and looked over her immense amount of fans, until her eyes settled onto him.

It was a weird sensation, to be sure. On one hand, the look didn't last for more than a second. She might have seen something else, or someone else. But then again, her eyes themselves...it was a feeling Ken wasn't used to, as if she was staring directly into his soul. Almost like an acknowledgement. Why?

The thought barely crossed his mind when she spoke, her voice amplified by the stadium speakers, "Hey everyone! Thanks for coming to my comeback concert, I'm so glad all of you could make it!"

The wink, the smile, the flourish. It was Risette, the one everyone knew and loved, but somehow, she was different. Maybe it was because it was his first time seeing her in person, but just seemed so much more real and personal compared to back then. What exactly changed...?

"Alright guys, I hope you're ready, 'cause I know I am!" she yelled, interrupting his thoughts. The stadium roared back its approval. "Let's start it off with an old favorite, _A Way of Life_!"

* * *

As the concert went on, Risette went through several of her fan favorites. Ken himself felt only a little pride in knowing all of the lyrics to the ones she did sing though, many of them being _his_ favorite Risette singles. _Memories of You_, _Brand New Days_, and several others...each one she performed flawlessly, and the audience, Ken included, couldn't help but cheer and yell out during the whole performance. She even ended with her newest song, _Pursuing My True Self_. It was only after the cheers died down that she could give her closing speech.

"Well, did everyone enjoy the concert?" she asked. A concert hall of cheers answered her, and she smiled before continuing, "Awesome, because I have one little surprise left for you all.

" 'Cause everyone here was nice enough to come to my welcome back concert, I'm going to pick one of you lucky guys to come backstage and meet me face-to-face, in person! How's that for a surprise gift?

"So...whose it gonna be?"

Ken would later on remember how insane the crowd went at this point. Nearly everyone began to scream their heads off, himself included. He even began to worry that fights would actually start to break out, as he could see people pushing and shoving others out of the way. Unfortunately, his height once again proved annoying, as multiple people began to funnel in front of him, blocking his chances of even being seen.

Only slightly annoyed, he kept his hand up and watched Risette scan the crowds. After a few minutes of watching her look over the entire hall twice, he wondered if this really was going to be a random choice. It looked like she was searching for someone in particular, the way she was looking. Slightly saddened, he was about to lower his hand when he heard her excited announcement.

"Well then, how about that boy up front in the orange shirt?"

* * *

Being backstage felt so unreal. After experiencing the Dark Hour and exploring Tartarus, he had felt nothing could even begin to compare, but he was wrong. Security, staff, handlers...everything backstage was in a rush and hurry now that the concert was over. Wandering up to the dressing room area, he was about to knock when he heard a conversation going on inside.

"Listen, Rise, you really can't just announce stuff like this without going through me first. You're really going to put me through a ton of paperwork back at the agency now... "

"Don't worry about it, Inoue-san. Besides, didn't you see how happy the crowd was? Maybe we should even do this more often?" replied Risette, who Ken recognized immediately.

"Fine, but only 15 minutes. We have a lot of other stuff to get through after this, especially after your little charity up there."

Letting out a sigh, Ken heard footsteps approaching the door. Stepping aside, the door swung open and an older man in a black business suit walked out and stopped in front of Ken. Thinking about it, this guy was probably her manager. At the same time, the man probably figured out that Ken was the fan that Rise selected. After a while of silent appraisal, the manager gave Ken a small nod and left.

Knocking on the door, Ken walked in and thought to announce himself. He entered to find her sitting in next to her mirror, facing him. Now that he was here, any words he had thought to say, like "It's so great to meet you" or "I'm your biggest fan", were completely caught in his throat. The way she stared at him, as if she was studying him, devoid of any emotion...it was just like before. Silence passed between them until he let out an uneasy cough that made the teen idol jump in surprise.

Ken had to break their staring contest because he couldn't help but grin. That was pretty cute of her, after all.

Smiling that patented Risette-smile, she spoke a really confusing statement. "Looks like Yosuke wasn't lying after all. There really more people like us out there."

Not really understanding, Ken remained silent, only giving her a confused look.

"No need to be shy about it, right? Of course I'm talking about a Persona, Ken Amada." She must have noticed his surprised expression because she continued, still smiling, "You don't need to so coy with me. Kanzeon is telling me _all _about Kala-Nemi and Nemesis."

There was no way this was real, right? Of course, that's right. He should have realized that already when he got selected to meet Risette in person. There's no way Japan's top idol could have a Persona. Just imagining her _summoning_ was too creepy.

"This has to be a dream, right? You're Risette the idol, you can't have a Persona. It's against the rules or something. Besides, you knew my name when I didn't even tell you...yeah, this is a dream. Has to be." Ken smiles, knowing he figured out what's going on.

Smirking at him, Risette shook her head slightly. Ken makes another mental note of how cute that was while she talks. "There really isn't any use hiding it. Even if it's really hard to do outside, I can still tell when someone nearby has one. I think Yosuke also told me you had a friend who could do it too, right? Fuu-something. Whatever, it doesn't matter. I just wanted to say hi, is all.

"Also, knowing your name is pretty easy when you I can just look at the ticket you handed the security guard, isn't it?"

Right. He had forgot about that.

His face reddening, Ken looked away. So maybe it was true. Maybe, just maybe, Risette, the top teen idol of Japan, did in fact use a Persona. One that, according to her, worked just like Fuuka's. But then again, just how did she...

"How do you know about Fuuka?" he asked, staring straight back at her with as serious of a face he could make.

A giggle. Almost like it wasn't even a question. "I just told you, didn't I? My friend Yosuke met her and then told everyone in our group about it. Well, there really wasn't much else. Just knowing doesn't make a difference. Still, there must be more of you guys, right? Kala-Nemi seems really old, or, at least older than any of ours. What's the story behind you guys?"

His head sunk.

"That's...not really something I want to talk about. It's too long anyway. Maybe some other time...but, long story short, we fought and we won." He sighed and half-whispered the last sentence. "Most of us did, anyway..."

Refusing to look at her now, Ken stood up to leave. This didn't turn out nearly as fun as he thought it would be. With his back turned, he heard her voice again, much softer this time. "Any advice on what to do now that it's over? We won our battle too, and even fought a god. But what now?"

It was a question he had asked himself before. The same question that Aigis and the rest had, too. For a second, Ken allowed himself to give Risette a smirk before answering. "Nothing. Move forward and live. Going through all of that's changed you, hasn't it? You can't just go back to the way things were, but you have to move forward and live to your fullest. That's what Leader would taught us, at least."

"Nice speech you got there." Laughing gently, she stood up to exit her dressing room. "Nothing I didn't already realize. Thanks, though."

A quick handshake later and she walked away, off to find her manager.

Man, Junpei was going to be so jealous once he found out what Ken had gotten. Grinning, Ken walked off, shoving a small business card for Marukyu Tofu into his pocket, Risette's handwriting visible on the other side.

_Stop by for a visit if you're around~ _

_ -Rise Kujikawa  
_


	5. The Magician & The Fortune

**Author Note:** I don't even know how I can apologize for releasing this one so late. Yes, I can make the regular excuses of being busy and the like, but nine months is a bit much. I won't promise when my next chapter will be, as I am trying my hand at writing another story on the side right now. Three chapters left after this one, so I at least have a planned finish. Anyway, this time is the first time I tried writing from the perspective of a girl. Although it's Naoto, so it really wasn't too difficult from my normal style, I think. I can honestly say I enjoyed writing this chapter, and am about as proud of it as I could possibly be of any of my works. Feel free to tear my apart, though.

* * *

**The Magician & The Fortune**

* * *

For at least the seventh time that day, Naoto cursed her misfortune. Her target hadn't moved in the past half hour, even after he had finished his meal. Instead, the man just sat at the counter, glancing at his phone every few minutes before letting out a deep sigh. At least this action implied something, but after the adrenaline-filled events of the past few months, sitting and waiting was no longer one of her strong points.

Ducking her head back beneath the newspaper she was pretending to read, the detective took a second to wrap her thoughts around just what exactly she had to do. She recalled the events that landed her this case.

No. "Case" was the wrong word. This…job was a far cry from her usual cases. Sure, she may not be investigating murder or anything similar to that, but she had at least taken other, less violent cases before. Embezzlement, blackmail, theft. The list could go on, but this…this was humiliating. She could barely hide the embarrassment when she had confided in her friends several days ago.

"_Huh? You're stalking someone?"_

_As always, Yosuke-senpai had been blunt with his words. Incidentally, he was in the city as part of his family's summer trip, but apparently, he had been shoehorned into helping out at another Junes._

"_No, I am most certainly not!" she had had replied loudly, hiding her face beneath her hat. "The exact description of my current assignment is to 'Investigate the lifestyle of a certain man, noting any suspicious or unorthodox actions that could implicate him in any adulterous relationships'."_

"_Sorry Naoto, but Yosuke-senpai is right. That's pretty much the definition of stalking."_

_Rise, of course, saw the situation the same. She apparently had her comeback concert soon, so she was in town for preparations._

"_Face it, Naoto-kun. You got suckered into a job of stalking some chick's boyfriend to make sure he isn't cheating. Who woulda thought that the great Detective Prince would be doing something so ridic-"_

Well, that was all she wanted to recollect. What followed was only more teasing about her current assignment. Lowering her newspaper again, she noticed her mark finally getting up to leave, leaving a less-than-generous tip considering how long he had spent sitting without any ordering anything. No matter, at least he was finally moving.

Over the past week, Naoto had followed her orders with the effort of a professional. Though she questioned the ethics and the relevance of such an assignment, it was relatively simple compared to her usual cases. She was already used to investigating suspects for more dangerous cases; something as simple as this would be no problem at all. As she followed him from an inconspicuous distance, she again thought back to why she had chosen to accept such a ridiculous task…

"_Yakushiji-san, are you sure she asked for me and not Grandfather?"_

_"Yes, Naoto-san. Kirijo personally called the estate requesting the assistance of the Shirogane detectives. When your grandfather offered his assistance, Kirijo declined, stating that she wanted a more youthful approach. As you're already in Iwatadoi City, your grandfather offered your expertise."_

"Yes, I have just finished my most recent case…and an offer from the head of the Kirijo group is not one we can reject so lightly. I understand, send me the relevant case information or meeting times when they are available."

"_Of course. She did state that this is a personal matter, so she was not very forward with any relevant details. I'm sure she'll be less secretive in person…"_

….utterly ridiculous. "Personal matter". "Not very forward". Yes, she should have known it wouldn't be something as exciting as investigating a corporate enemy or personal rival. But this…this was almost insulting.

Already aware of her target's habits, she knew that he would either head towards the arcade or the station plaza. When he wasn't at one of his several part-time jobs, he always ended up there. As expected, he ended up moving towards the arcade. Today, however, observing him in this environment would be a problem. Naoto, from her observations, knew him to be the kind of person that was loud, obnoxious, and insensitive to things like personal space. With so few others there, he would clearly try to engage her in conversation if she entered.

…

…if he did, that would count as flirting with other women, right? At least that would be something to put on the report. Almost a week of investigation and the closest that man had gotten to an affair was an accidental mishap involve wet floors and women's dressing rooms. Just the recollection of the aftermath from that incident caused Naoto to cringe. She didn't think it possible for a man to be slapped by so many different women on a single occasion. How he actually managed to end up getting arrested from that was probably the biggest shock to her.

Sighing to herself, Naoto casually strolled into arcade, colloquially named "Game Panic", and found herself edging towards what appeared to be a train simulation game. While she herself held little interest, it was the closest she could get to her mark without drawing unnecessary attention. Unfortunately, he displayed behavior not unlike the any other time she observed him, merely exchanging loud greetings with the few other customers there.

That is, of course, until he turned his head and noticed her.

Immediately, a cold sweat ran down Naoto's back. It wouldn't do any good if she panicked and ran. Even pretending that she had not been staring could be suspicious, as it would be too obvious if she turned away too quickly.

'Just act casual,' Naoto thought to herself.

There was absolutely no need though. She couldn't even call it lucky that he didn't follow up when another person had clearly been staring at him. Maybe he mistook her gaze for someone else? Or maybe he didn't notice at all and was looking at something behind her? Regardless, Naoto silently thanked whatever god was watching and used this opportunity to slip away from her target's presence. It really was a mistake to enter that confined place.

Waiting outside, she again wondered how exactly she would make her report. After all, for over a week, nothing happened. At the very least, that woman would want a definitive 'yes' or 'no' as to whether or not he was faithful.

_"What do you mean 'Kirijo isn't here'? I apologize, but I assumed that she arranged to meet me personally for a case she needed help with."_

Before her sat a woman only several years her elder, dressed in very elaborate gothic clothes. Given their chosen meeting point, it really did make the both of them stand out.

_"You mean she didn't tell you? Well, she would do something like that..."_

_"What do you mean by that?"_

"Well, the thing is, recently there have been...issues with me and my boyfriend. He's spending less time with me, always making excuses about a part-time job or some other thing like that. I asked one of his friends about it, and I guess she requested your expertise..."

_Naoto wasn't sure if she had ever cursed how idiotic the entire world was. Maybe she had. But that was then and this was now. Of course, she had already spent all her time preparing for this meeting, booking a room at a nearby hotel and it would all go to waste if she just left now. Especially because Kirijo was apparently this person's support. There was probably nothing to lose at this point from taking on a request like this._

_Except maybe her pride._

_"So, Chidori Yoshino-san...tell me everything."_

Well, at the very least, Naoto would be able to report that this Junpei Iori was at least not unfaithful. Not once had the man even attempted to flirt or display actual attraction to other women, despite his oftentimes comedic failures in conversation. Still, she hadn't been able to find out what exactly had caused the man's sudden disinterest in his own love life.

Perhaps he had just grown tired of Yoshino-san? Or maybe love, in general?

Pondering this, Naoto continued to trail Iori, who had finally left the arcade. Judging from his behavior over the last week, Naoto had already predicted that he was heading towards his next job at the station plaza. He definitely did juggle a lot of work in his spare time.

Maybe that was also the cause of his growing lethargy?

But why would he even be taking so many jobs in the first place? She had observed that, while he didn't live life too frugally, he also didn't seem to be lacking in expenses.

Deep in thought, Naoto didn't even realize that Iori had gone on a different path than usual until they had reached their destination. A place that he hadn't even been near over the past week, and one that she herself was quite uncomfortable familiar with.

A cemetery.

Her immediate thought was that such an open space would easily give her away. One look at him, though, and that thought vanished. That look in his eyes…it was usually something she only saw when people were so focused upon a single thing that they would ignore the world. In a way, it reminded her of Senpai. Securing herself behind a tree, she began to put her own focus onto Iori as he stopped in front of a lonesome tombstone and listened to that voice she had grown so accustomed to hearing.

"Hey. I hope you haven't forgotten your ol' buddy Junpei yet. Been a while since I last visited, hasn't it? I figured I would start cutting back on the visits. You know, to prove to you that I'm capable of living without you having my back. Doesn't help that I think I keep seeing you everywhere."

Sadness. Despite the carefree nature of his words, and the light tone of his voice, Naoto could hear the sadness behind this one-sided conversation.

"So I bet you're wondering why I came to visit then. Remember a few years ago, when all of that stuff happened? Heh, yeah, of course you do. I don't even know of a good way to say this, but you really helped me out back then. Now I know this is going to sound really lame, but…well…thanks.

It was tough back then, especially when Chidori...left. You were both the hero and the main character, and I felt like a side character in my own life. You helped me make something of myself back then. But now, I think I can finally step up to the plate and do it. Heh, you're the first person I'm telling this to, so keep it a secret, yeah?

I will marry Chidori Yoshino. Maybe not now, maybe not soon, but I will. I've already started planning for it, taking what jobs I can and just raising money for now. There's lots of stuff I still don't know, but you're gonna be watching my back from up there, so it'll be fine.

Thanks again man, but promise me you won't breathe a word of this to anyone. I don't think I could handle Yuka-tan lecturing me in 'Proposing 101'. Best buddies 'till the end, right? Bye, for now. I'll stop by again some other time."

And with that he left. And Naoto had absolutely no interest in following. After listening to a conversation she felt she had no right to hear, she silently pondered over the man she had studied over the past week. Junpei Iori. What a curious man. After the first day of investigation, she had thought she had the man figured out, but this…this surprised her.

As she stood up to leave, her thoughts once again settled onto what to include in her report. Walking past the grave that Junpei had been speaking to, Naoto froze when she heard a faint voice behind her.

_Keep the promise for me, will you? I wouldn't want to be called a liar._


End file.
